1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of gardening and agriculture and more particularly to a method and system for providing gardening/agricultural information and advice.
2. Description of the Related Art
As used herein, the term “plant” is understood to broadly describe a variety of forms of plant life, including plants, trees, shrubs, grasses, vines, flowers, and the like. There are a wide variety plants which grow in different geographic areas. The variety is tremendous, and many people find it difficult to identify and keep track of all of the various plants which are located on their property. Even if they can keep track of the plant life on their property, it is very difficult for the average person to determine a proper maintenance plan for their property to promote growth of desirable plant life and which eliminate weeds and other undesirable plant life. That is, it is difficult to know what specific agricultural products or gardening materials, such as fertilizers, pesticides, weed killers, seeds, etc., that a person should apply to various plant life growing on their property, and when and in what amount the gardening materials should be applied.
This problem includes several components. First, the person must identify all of the desirable plant life on their property. Second, the person must be aware of and able to identify undesirable plant life (e.g., weeds, fungus) and pests (e.g., insects) which must be controlled. Third, the person must select appropriate gardening materials to apply to various plant life on their property.
This problem is exacerbated by the large selection of available materials, and by the many various forms in which the materials can be applied (e.g., powder, spray, systemic, time-release formula, etc.) for each plant life and particular situation. And it is further complicated by the fact that different gardening materials have different levels of effectiveness in different geographical areas and at different times of the year. Also, some materials may be appropriate for one type of plant life, but may be detrimental to the health of other desirable plant life located on the same property. And some materials which are legal in one state may not be legal in a different state, or they may be legal for different uses in different states.
So, for the average person, this presents a rather complex problem. And the complexity is multiplied by the number of different types of plant life typically found on a particular property.
One solution in the past has been to rely upon the knowledge and advice of a local gardening material supplier. However, this is of limited effectiveness if the supplier has not personally inventoried the plant life on the customer's property. Also, this is a passive solution in that the gardening supplier typically will only answer specific questions from a customer, and does not proactively notify the customer of when to apply gardening products for all of the customer's plants.
Another solution has been for an individual to hire a personal professional gardener or landscape company to tend to the person's property. But this is an expensive solution.
Accordingly, it would be advantageous to provide a method and system for supplying gardening/agricultural information and advice. It would also be advantageous to provide such a method and system which is automated, for example by a computer. It would additionally be advantageous to provide such a method and system which supplies advice tailored to the geographical location of a particular property. It would further be advantageous to provide such a method and system which supplies information and advice tailored to the specific forms of desirable plant growth present on the particular property. It would further be advantageous to provide such a method and system which is accessible ubiquitously to individuals regardless of where they might be located. Other and further objects and advantages will appear hereinafter.